GDC 2010: Sony’s PlayStation Move emphasizes precision motion gaming

Sony said its motion gaming answer to the Nintendo Wii will be called PlayStation Move, a set-up that will bring one-to-one motion control using a PlayStation Eye accessory and new motion controllers.

Sony executives revealed the new name and showed off demonstrations of the system in action at a press event during the Game Developers Conference. There is a bit of a me-too feel to PlayStation Move, coming more than three years after the launch of the Wii. But the demos showed that Sony is serious about this space and it’s got some interesting ideas for high definition motion control.

“Nothing has ever been this precise, responsive and ultra-sensory,” said Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s president of worldwide studios. “It has the potential to breathe new life into many well established game genres.”

Before we get to impressions, some details. The system is on track for a fall release and will come in a couple of packages. Consumers can buy a PlayStation Move controller by itself if they have a PlayStation Eye already or they can buy the two in a starter kit that should come in less than $100 and will also include a game. Sony will also be bundling the whole system with a PlayStation 3. Exact pricing will come later.

Sony showed off a range of games including a pair of fighting titles that featuring some of what you’d expect, punches and sword thrusts. In both demos, players used two controllers which are necessary to capture the movement of both your hands. It looked precise though how much better than the Wii with Wii Motion Plus, it’s hard to say.

More interesting were some casual games that folded in augmented reality features. In one game, you see yourself onscreen and your controller becomes a number of tools, from a tennis racket to a paint brush or fan, which you use to manipulate on screen objects.

Another game called EyePet lets users play with an augmented reality pet, which only exists on screen. You use the controller to interact with it in front of you as if it’s a real animal and you can see the results on screen.

The system can be made to work with existing games. Little Big Planet was updated to allow two players to play with one using PlayStation Move while the other used a traditional six-axis controller. The Move player can manipulate objects and help the other player get through puzzles.

The upcoming SOCOM 4 will also be fully playable with PlayStation Move. For that game, you’ll also need a Move subcontroller, which is a controller with a joystick, like a Wii nunchuk.

Sony is getting support from all the major independent software publishers and will definitely have more to show off at E3 this summer.

Sony has an opportunity here to offer an HD version of the Wii and use it as a way to lure people into the PlayStation 3 market. The PS3 is still more expensive but now with motion control, it’s got an even fuller offering for consumers.

For all its promise though, Sony will have to really market this thing to get it selling. You’re going up against the Wii, which is already synonymous with this space. And most users will have to spend not just $100 to get the starter kit but they’ll most likely have to buy at least one more controller. And if they want to play games like SOCOM 4, they’ll need a subcontroller too. This could start to add up.

Don’t forget Microsoft will also be releasing Project Natal by the end of this year. And that does without controllers, which will be appealing to some non-gamers who are intimidated by controllers.

But this much we know, this holiday season is going to be very competitive, with all the console makers duking it out with motion and gesture-based gaming solutions. Is there enough of a market for all these motion systems to do well? We’ll find out soon enough.